As a kid, I used to hear and read about great mountains; the Alps, the Andes, the Himalayas and of course, Everest. I remember wondering whether one day I would get to see these giants, let alone climb them. To be honest, it never occurred to me that one day I would climb these peaks, or even attempt to do so. An incident happened in Kenya while I was racing there on my Mountain Bike in the year 2000. On the penultimate stage, although I was leading the race by a whopping 11 minutes, I fell and dislocated my collarbone. I had to pull out from the race, and rush back home for surgery. The next year, I came back and took part in the Kenya International Sports Safari. after winning this International Mountain Bike stage race in Kenya in 2001 I was invited to climb Kilimanjaro in nearby Tanzania. My passion for adventure led me to accept that challenge. Without passion, nothing this demanding could ever be achieved. As I watched the sunrise from the roof of Africa, I pondered over my desire to challenge myself yet further on these new grounds: the high mountains. Little did I know back then in 2001 that this was to be the first of my “Seven Summits”…

When I decided that I wanted to attempt the Seven Summits, I didn’t feel that I was pushing things beyond what humans are meant to do. The fact that I took everything one step at a time must be the reason for this. The summit of Everest is actually the limit of what the human body can tolerate. Had it been any higher, no human would have been able to stand on top. So although the summit of Mount Everest is on the fringe of what is possible for a human being, the fact that I trained my mind and body on lesser peaks prior to attempting it meant that I was prepared for the worst, and hoping for the best.
While physically training, I train my mind as well. And when I am in a tough situation, I try to remember all these hours spent training the body and teaching the mind to eliminate the barriers our brain often creates. The mental training gives me strength to overcome whatever tight spot I find myself in, not forgetting that nothing is worth a life, and that I have a wife and two kids who depend on me. I’d put mental strength even before physical fitness because while climbing proper, especially rock climbing, there is no room for any thoughts other than those related to the climb itself. Any rock climber is invariably so concentrated on the task at hand that there are no other thoughts going through his or her mind. Add to that the fact that the technical climbs have cleared the mind of any unnecessary thoughts, and you are left with the perfect conditions to analyze any existing problems and find the most appropriate solution for them. I was never scared to loose my life. Not that I am a fearless or careless person, but I always thought that I would be able to keep my calm and solve any problem I am in. So bar catastrophes -which could occur anywhere, anytime, and not necessarily on the mountain- I always thought that I had the strength, experience, and wisdom to handle any situation that presented itself. I did nothing in haste, and trained, prepared, planned all of my adventures (and especially Everest) as best I could before leaving home. It is worth mentioning here that Everest was the last of my Seven Summits. Before it, I successfully completed 15 expeditions literally to the 4 corners of the world. Edward Whimper’s words sum it up best: “Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are naught without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end."
The only fear I had was that if something was to happen to me, my children would have to grow-up without a father.
Oddly enough, the real challenges did not come while climbing per se, but more in between the climbs when I was back home trying to manage my time between family, work, training, and preparation for the next climb. Sure, there were challenges on the mountains while climbing, and that’s what makes it more exciting and worthwhile. And as long as these challenges are in the form of problems which -by definition- have solutions, then all I needed to do was find the solution to that particular problem in order to move closer to my goal, the ultimate one being to reach my limit… and try to push it further a little.
No one is ever complete. And we all feel the need to go further, higher, farther, and deeper. Of course, there is always a tremendous sense of achievement after reaching a summit, let alone the summit of the planet. But, like I read once in a nicely written article: “Climbing a mountain is the supreme symbol of man’s personal struggle to achieve. As a metaphor, the summit is simple and pure, man versus himself in nature. It approaches a universal understanding of our primal desire to conquer and will eternally stand as a symbol of triumph and failure. As long as mountains and man exist, adventurers will be drawn without mercy, leaving no culture or people untouched.”

I have changed quite significantly since my ascent of Everest. On the outside, I am still the same person that my friends and family have always known. But there are important transformations that occur deep within you after climbing that mountain. Anyone who has been to the summit of Everest and returned has inevitably got to experience these inner changes. You invariably come back from that mountain with a fresh new look at life in general. You no longer worry as much about the futile little things that we all too often make a fuss about pointlessly. Also, you become a good deal more humble and increasingly aware and thankful of all those blessings that we sometimes take for granted in our daily lives. In my case, I even became more of a believer and I am ever more thankful each day for everything that we are given in life. I prayed a lot on the Mountains. The harsh conditions invariably bring you closer to whatever God you believe in…

I definitely do not perform solely for my own satisfaction. This is precisely why I looked for a sponsor before embarking on the Seven Summits project. Besides funds, I wanted to put my project into a context, and I did exactly that with my partnership with Bank Audi. That Bank was the only institution who had the vision and courage to believe in my project. As corporate Ambassador for the Audi-Saradar Group, I now tour schools and universities in the country to speak to the young and show them some of my photos and footage in view of motivating them. I have even toured schools and universities in Egypt, and Jordan, and hope to visit other countries in the region. Motivating the new generation brings me immense pleasure and satisfaction, and needless to say, I offer my presentation to them for no financial return. My biggest achievement is definitely using my Everest success to motivate the young, to build up their confidence and trust to teach them that there is an Everest for everyone.

There are many ways to “climb one’s own Everest” and that doesn’t have to be a mountain...